There was once a pious woman in India who would seek spiritual guidance, through correspondence, from the great spiritual mentor, Moulana Abraarul Haqq Saheb (rahimahullah). After marrying a man from Hyderabad Deccan, she relocated to America with her in-laws.

However, the predicament she was facing was that the family she got married into was not Deeni-inclined. Her father-in-law, for instance, only performed Jumu‘ah Salaah, while her husband’s negligence extended even to this obligatory duty.

She thus wrote to Moulana Abraarul Haqq Saheb (rahimahullah) explaining her predicament and asking him what she could do in this situation. Moulana (rahimahullah) advised her that she should merely keep the books of the senior ‘Ulama, which she had a habit of reading, in a common place, without asking the others to read them. He also emphasized the importance of not falling short in serving her husband.

Sometime later, she wrote a letter to Moulana Abraarul Haqq Saheb (rahimahullah) explaining that she had done as he had instructed. It so happened that her father-in-law became ill due to which he had to remain at home to rest. Since he was now free at home and there was not much to do, he asked his daughter-in-law to read a kitaab to him. She thus began reading portions of these kitaabs to him. Remarkably, listening to these readings had a profound impact, and within days, her father-in-law became diligent in performing all his daily salaah.

After some time, she once again wrote a letter explaining that as a result of her effort, her husband had begun performing his Jumu‘ah Salaah. Her persistent efforts yielded further success, as he eventually became regular in performing all his daily salaah. Moreover, her unwavering dedication to create a Deeni environment at home bore remarkable fruit; after six years of continuous effort, her husband not only grew a full beard but also embarked on the blessed journey of hajj with her.

Just as she made an effort on her husband, she paid equal attention to the upbringing of her son. When he was six years old, he began attending a missionary school, which provided breakfast to its students. The effect of the upbringing of this mother was such, that when the staff of the school offered him something to eat, he blankly refused. They were quite surprised and wondered why he would not eat. They thus contacted his mother and enquired the reason for his refusal to eat. She informed them that in actual fact, she had instructed him not to eat, since their food is not halaal.

(Mansab e Mu-min pg. 32)

Lessons:

1. Despite going into an environment which lacked Deen, this pious woman did not allow the environment to change her. Rather, with determination and dedication, she changed the environment to such an extent that she singlehandedly brought about Deen in the entire household. Hence, whenever we find ourselves in an environment which is not conducive to our Deen, we should not allow it to change us. Instead, we should endeavour to bring about a change. Moreover, we should not become despondent if we do not see the effect of our efforts immediately. Rather, we should be determined and continue to make an effort as it generally takes time for the results to be witnessed.

2. This woman yearned to bring about a change and undoubtedly succeeded in doing so. However, the thing which greatly assisted her was having the guidance of a senior and pious person. When a person adopts the company of the pious, consults with them and listens to their advices, he/she will find great blessings in his/her life.

3. The kitaabs of our pious ‘Ulama, such as the Fazaail Aa’maal and Fazaail Sadaqaat of Shaikhul Hadeeth, Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhelwi (rahimahullah), have proven to be very effective in bringing about a total reformation in the lives of individuals, as well as entire families. Hence, the ‘Ulama emphasise conducting ta’leem of these kitaabs daily in our homes, and even prescribe it as a solution for marital, as well as other social problems.

4. Although we must make every effort to protect our children from negative environments, at times, we may be forced to send them to certain places where they could be exposed to some wrong. If we give them the correct upbringing and instil within them the awareness of Allah Ta‘ala, they will not get involved and affected by the wrong, insha-Allah. This pious woman had given her son such an amazing upbringing, that despite him being so young and alone in his environment, he refused to partake of the food.